LOLSAM

A long time ago I decided that being at my family’s house in Columbia, MD isn’t actually that bad. I used to whine about the lack of anything that interests me here, and how it’s just horrible that this town is the epitome of the “American Dream” since there is nothing to do, but at a certain point I got over myself and just learned to stop being so melodramatic. It’s actually not horrible here, but that is not to say I’m not bored out of my mind right now.

I’ve finished watching Mad Men, none of the other TV shows I watch are back from hiatus yet, I’ve finished reading the book I had, and I realized I cannot possibly bring myself to sit through an entire movie (Nina suggests I get tested for ADD). So I tried calling some of the few people in this town I still talk to, but no one is answering their phones. My mom’s new job is so demanding she is never at home during the day, and on the off chance that she is, she’s working really hard in her office. My dad is either running errands all day, at meetings to set up his new job, or napping on the couch with Law & Order on the plasma screen. My sister still has a lot of friends in this town, ergo, she is always either out with them or videochatting in her room with them. My brother is only 15, and he started school again on Monday.

I basically spend my days in my room on my computer reading my overflowing Google Reader chock full of the same stories about how gay people are oppressed. I would get out of the house, but I have nowhere to go. Yesterday I went to the mall, which was depressingly full of fat people lunching on 2400 calories of Chik-Fil-A and Famous Wok, and to the dentist, where I was yelled at for not flossing, more on that later. The day before I went to the dermatologist (cancer-free!) and to pick up my new glasses (super cute!). I fear I am running out of doctors to see and errands to run.

I didn’t want to go back to New York much before classes start because I know I would just spend a ton of money if I don’t have work or school to go to, but I’m dying of boredom here. I like being here with my family, but after the holidays are over, so is family time. Everyone is back to work and school, and I’m just sitting on my bed ruining my posture. Though I haven’t resigned myself to playing Tetris on my phone yet, I feel that time is quickly approaching. So, readers from Baltimore and Washington, what’s good? Maybe you’re home for the holidays and bored out of your mind too. If you are, let’s do something. Anything. I want to go to the National Gallery. Let’s do that together.

Today I’m going to see Kathryn, but she already has a child, she doesn’t need to babysit me too.

Life of LOLSAM boredom, columbia, maryland, suburbia

A week ago after the premiere of The City on MTV I wrote a lengthy and witty review on the train to New York. Because I apparently forgot the rules of the internet, I did not realize that the WordPress “compose” page open on my screen was not periodically saving my post since I was not connected to the internet. So, like I was being Punk’d, as soon as I finished the last sentence of the article my computer died (with 50% battery left…), thus erasing my 45 minutes of Whitney Port (and Olivia Palermo) worship. The highlights were basically:

1. Whitney Port is so much better than Lauren Conrad.
2. I love Olivia Palermo, and she is beautiful.
3. Gays!
4. I can relate to The City more than The Hills, but still not really.

After tonight’s episode, I still love it, but does anyone else just hate that stupid theme song? The Pussycat Dolls? Really? The Pussycat Dolls were conceived, born, raised, and live in Los Angeles. Isn’t this show supposed to be about New York? I mean, their newest single, “I Hate This Part,” which I actually really like, starts with the lyrics, “We’re driving slow through the snow on 5th Avenue.” So, since this is such an easy visual, I would think the video would show Nicole Scherzinger riding in a car with her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend down a snowy 5th Avenue. Actually, though, Nicole is playing a piano in the middle of the California desert. I mean, that is literally the opposite of the setting described in the lyric she is singing. I guess PCD just couldn’t bring themselves to leave LA, or at least travel farther than a day trip away.

My suggestion for a better theme song would be Lady GaGa’s “Poker Face.” Lady GaGa is actually from New York. She was born and raised here, and spent her formative years in college at NYU performing her music at bars and clubs on the Lower East Side. She is a real New Yorker, which I think would lend something authentic to the theme song. “Poker Face” is a stomping, romping pop song, which I, personally, listen to while walking the streets of this city. Plus, the theme of the “poker face” - guarding yourself behind a veneer of confidence - is perfect for Whitney, who is trying to keep up her own poker face in The Big Bad City.

I mean, I know MTV is not going to change the theme song three episodes in, but, uh, they should. MTV, you had your chance to employ me and you reneged. I’m still here if you’re looking for young talent, though.

Entertainment lady gaga, mtv, pussycat dolls, the city, whitney port

This year I am actually going to make resolutions. I’ve never really made new year’s resolutions in the past except once when I was 11 I decided to “finish everything on my plate” at every meal because I had a really bad appetite. I still have a really bad appetite, but I don’t see the point in gorging myself only to make my stomach feel explosive, so I guess it’s better to come up with better resolutions. By putting this on the internet you guys can hold me accountable for them and shove them in my face whenever I fail to carry them out.

1. Stand up for myself.
I really don’t do this enough. I let people walk all over me, and it’s my own fault. This one is a big one that has a lot of sub-points, so they will be listed below.

1a. Tell people how I really feel.
Otherwise how will they know that they’ve done anything wrong? Or if they do know that they’ve done something wrong, they assume they can do it again and again and again because I never say anything about it. That stops in 2009.

1b. Hold others accountable for their own actions.
I don’t need to blame myself for my friend’s poor decisions. It’s not my fault Jane got drunk and hooked up with some random French guy at the Annex. It wasn’t my responsibility to tell her to stop drinking… 100 times.

1c. Put myself first.
It sounds selfish, but I’ve been selfless to the point of personal injury my entire life. When something needs to happen for myself, I’m not going to put the needs of others ahead of mine because hardly anyone ever does that for me. When someone is having a hard night, but I have a lot of work to do, my needs are going to come first. For too long I have sacrificed my own needs for the needs of those close to me, and while it seemed like I was just being a kind and compassionate person, it has really caught up with me.

2. Go to every class.
I was pretty good about this this past semester. I think I only missed two or three classes. Barring the Ebola virus, I will not miss a single class in 2009. Seriously.

3. Become an activist.
I said I was going to do this after I saw Milk, and I really mean it. I don’t know exactly what that entails, and I think I’ve been doing a little bit of activism via this blog and my contributions to the Human Rights Campaign, but I want to do more. I ‘ve already been in touch with some people who know a lot more about this than I do, and hopefully that will turn into something bigger. I’m really serious about this one.

4. Set more goals.
My mom is a big goal-setter, and she says it really helps her. I do set some goals, but not nearly enough. I’m going to start setting both long-term and short-term goals for myself this year and see what comes of it. I think by setting goals I’ll be more inclined to map out a route to get to where I want to be. Everything is easier with a map.

From the looks of it, 2009 is going to be a year where I really focus on myself. And it’s about f-ing time.

Life of LOLSAM

Entertainment 2008, 2009, new year, pop waffle

My very, very good friend Josh just wrote something decrying the claims that Katy Perry is homophobic. I guess I agree. I don’t know Katy Perry, personally, and I doubt that she is homophobic, but I do think she is an inane, idiotic girl who continues to use gay people as the butt of her jokes because she doesn’t see the problem with it. It’s really sad because she’s super cute and her music is perfect pop bliss, but it’s not what good girls do. It’s not how they should behave. Read more…

Entertainment, LGBT homophobia, katy perry

Well, it’s been snowing all week, but today it’s really coming down. We’re supposed to get 30 inches between now and Friday night. Eek! I just wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy holidays! This picture was taken two minutes ago from my phone off our balcony. It’s confirmed: I am actually spending this week in a snow globe.

Life of LOLSAM Beaver Creek, christmas, Colorado, snow

I’m on vacation right now, so I’m not going to delve too deeply into this, but the second pair of singles and videos from Beyoncé’s I Am… Sasha Fierce are awesome. “Halo” is definitely my favorite track on the album. I bet it’ll be the biggest hit of her career since “Crazy In Love.” It’s an absolutely beautiful, soaring love song, and the video is nicely shot as well. “Diva,” on the other hand, has been endlessly compared to Lil Wayne’s “A Milli,” and though I’m not a big fan of Lil Wayne, I am a big fan of this song. It’s just a big romp, and though I think the lyrics are kind of stupid, the video is even more amazing than the one for “Single Ladies.” The robotic glove that became a phenomenon after that video is now matched by her fringe sunglasses. Through the video she wears a lot of Gareth Pugh, too, which just warms me heart. Such a departure from the House of Dereon. Check out both videos after the jump. Read more…

Entertainment beyonce, diva, halo, sasha fierce

We flew into Denver on Sunday morning in a series of events that went so smoothly I kept having to reassure myself that I was not dreaming. Airports make me uneasy the same way some people feel about hospitals, and never mind the fact that I’m not a fan of flying and a mere 18 hours before our flight there had been a pretty bad crash at the Denver airport (a fact I was, luckily, oblivious to until the lady next to my mom chose to inform us as we were 200 feet from the runway), but everything went well! We pulled up to BWI, checked our luggage (5 suitcases, 5 ski bags) with no snags, got through security painlessly, got coffee (crucial) easily, boarded swiftly, and took off only 15 minutes late. The landing was so smooth I didn’t even feel us hit the runway. Then we got all 10 of our bags from baggage claim in 10 minutes and off we were in the rented Suburban. So easy!

The only thing that irked me was this man sitting across from us at BWI, as we were waiting to board, who insisted on striking up conversation. Read more…

Life of LOLSAM air travel, Beaver Creek, Colorado

Today I’m going to Beaver Creek, Colorado with my family for a week. We are going to spend Christmas on the slopes “not exactly roughing it,” as the resort’s slogan says. I’m really looking forward to it, and I can’t wait to spend this time with my family. We were all together for Thanksgiving, but that was far too short. This will be much better. However, the presence of WiFi in our condo has yet to be confirmed or denied, so this may be the last post for a while. If it is, then I hope you all have a wonderful week and get to take some time off from work or school to relax and enjoy the season.

Life of LOLSAM Beaver Creek, Colorado

Apparently taking away marriage rights from LGBT Californians was not enough for the supporters of Proposition 8. Now they have decided that the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed between the time the state supreme court legalized it, and the time the rights of a vulnerable minority were unfairly voted on by the majority, need to be nullified. You know, the Yes on 8 campaign has been saying that they extol the virtues of tolerance, respect, and inclusion, but if this move isn’t pure hatred, then I don’t know what hatred is. The best part, and there is one, is that they have hired Kenneth Starr to handle the lawsuit. Oh me, oh my. As Andy at Towleroad said: “Starr brings some of the best experience around if you’re looking to waste tons of money on creepy investigations into private lives not in the public interest.” Mm, indeed. Read more…

LGBT gay rights, prop 8